


Yesterday Was Hard On All Of Us

by Ithinkwehaveanemergency



Series: "Its Strange" Verse [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-06
Updated: 2017-12-08
Packaged: 2019-02-11 12:57:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12935772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ithinkwehaveanemergency/pseuds/Ithinkwehaveanemergency
Summary: Liam and Theo, hashing out their issues.This fic takes place immediately after the hospital scene in the finale, exactly as it happened, but exists in a canon where the events of the previous fic in this series happened.  If you didn't read it, it becomes fairly clear after a few paragraphs what the minor divergence is.





	1. Because, Because

**Author's Note:**

> "Where do we go from here?  
> Where do we go?  
> And is it real or just  
> Something we think we know?"  
> -Yesterday Was Hard On All Of Us, by Fink

Theo stared down between his knees at the thin stream of water running down the gutter. He grabbed the half-full water bottle from beside him.

Melissa had procured the bottle from a nurses station once she was done fishing the bullets out from deep within his flank and shoulder. She'd handed it to him and ran a hand across his forehead, straightening his messy hair, before whispering, "You did a good thing."

Theo's throat had constricted and he managed to choke out something about needing air before he all but sprinted from the hospital, not stopping til he was clear across on the opposite curb.

Theo heard the familiar tires of a Beacon Hills Police Cruiser pull up a few feet from where he was perched on the sidewalk, facing the hospital, hunched over, forearms propped on his knees.

A shadow appeared over him as he uncapped the waterbottle, and he looked up at the figure as he took a sip.

"Melissa sounded a bit off when she said that everyone inside was okay." Sheriff Stilinski spoke firmly, almost accusing, like a cop, but Theo knew he meant it as a question, like an ally.  The thought of being an ally to the Sheriff was incredulous, but he just nodded in acknowledgement of what he was being prompted about.

"The kid." Theo rasped out. He took another sip of water. He looked away from the Sherrif as he continued. "Gabe. He's dead."

The duo stood in silence for a long minute, not quite looking at eachother, before Theo heard the front door to the hospital open. His gaze snapped up to see Liam approaching them slowly.  From his easy gait, it appeared he had already healed from where he'd been shot in the leg.

"Was it you..." The Sheriff started to ask, delicately, but when Theo met his eyes, they held no fear or judgement. Theo wasn't surprised at the question, so he just shook his head in a 'no' and looked at Liam, who had joined them.

"It wasn't any of us."  Theo whispered.

"Melissa and the guys are with Nolan in the lobby." Liam supplied, breaking the awkward conversation.

The Sheriff looked between the boys and nodded, looking less like a man whose town was just saved by his son's best friends, and more like a father, who had to go inside and see the dead body of a boy even younger than his own son. He squared his shoulders and walked away from them and into the hospital.

"Can I sit?" Liam asked, eyebrows raised in a manner so casual that Theo almost forgot that they had all just almost died. Theo forced a smile, that was not only inappropriate, but didn't fool Liam for a second. He put his water bottle down between his feet and slapped the curb beside him invitingly before falling backward. The cool concrete felt soothing through the ripped fabric of his t-shirt and on the backs of his arms.

Liam sat beside him on the curb, less than a foot away; close enough that their knees would touch if Theo relaxed a bit more. Theo observed the tense muscles of Liam's shoulders and it reminded him of the last conversation he had with Liam before the hospital.

 

 

> **Earlier in the day...**
> 
> "So you're just going to leave?" Liam whispered harshly into the cold, foggy air.
> 
> "Why would that be a problem?" Theo crossed his arms as he leaned against his truck, snarling at the young werewolf who had cornered him at the gas station.  He had been filling up has tank right off the main road to the highway. "I think you're a bit too busy to worry about something as trivial as letting me finally flee this town."
> 
> "Its not about that!" Liam growled.  Theo narrowed his eyes in response.
> 
> "Oh. Oh okay, you won't admit it, because it reminds you of what we did, but you need me, is that it?" Theo smiled tightly, trying to conceal his rage at the memories that were flooding his head. Memories of being touched by the one person he craved more than anything. Images of Liam's eyes staring up at him innocently (while the teen enthuastically performed an act that was anything-but-innocent) flashed across Theo's mind, trying to convince him to stay, but the frustration he felt was overwhelming. So, instead, he lashed out. "What, you think I'll just do whatever you want because you let me come in your mouth once?"
> 
> "Fuck you, Theo." Liam spat, hurt evident in his voice, jarring Theo from the his rage. Theo had to bite down on his lip to stop another bitter jab about how Liam could, if he really wanted to.
> 
> "You may say that you want me to stop saving you, Liam, and that's fine. But I can't... I won't stay here and watch you die." Theo roared the end of his statement, ignoring the fact that Mason could probably hear them clearly from his car on the other side of the gas station.
> 
> "Great. Thanks for the vote of confidence." Liam rolled his eyes and threw his arms up in the air, then stepped forward, getting in the chimera's face. "What happened to helping us? You really don't give a fuck if we die? Huh?"
> 
> "I guess I'm just not capable of caring about anyone but myself." Theo shrugged, anger draining from his face. He stared blankly at Liam, his face a mask of indifference, both at Liam's proximity and biting words.
> 
> Liam gave the older boy a look that clearly said he didn't believe the act, but he retreated nonetheless. He turned, shoulders tensed, and walked back to where Mason was waiting in Lydia's car.

"We won." Liam whispered, picking at the hole in his jeans.

"I suppose we did." Theo responded equally as soft, but Liam's body still looked as taut as a string on a violin.

Theo hesitated, but eventually raised himself up so that his elbows propped him a foot off the ground. With the minor movement, he let his knees fall open wider, his left thigh relaxing against and being held up by Liam's right. The teen startled slightly, but less than a second later, Theo observed the tension ease from Liam's muscles.

"Thank you." Liam sighed. He turned his head so that Theo was staring his angular profile, accented by the downturn of his lips. "Thank you for being here. For staying."

Theo thought about breaking the heaviness with a smart remark, but bit his lip instead, hoping Liam would go on, so that Theo didnt have to say 'you're welcome' or something else that would sound equally as insufficient. When the younger teen remained silent, Theo held his breath for a moment before blurting out his too-vulnerable response.

"Thank you for not making me watch you die."

Liam sucked in a breath at Theo's words, then laughed softly before raising his hand and resting it on the inside of Theo's knee, almost as if he was making sure the chimera didn't pull away.

"Nah. That wasn't a possibility." Liam smiled. "I vaguely remember you saying something in the elevator along the lines of: 'I'm totes willing to die for you, but I'd rather not.'"

"Eh. You have no proof." Theo mused, too tired to be shocked or upset at the false recollection. He let his body fall back again, giving his elbows a rest from propping him up, and laced his hands behind his head as he stared up at the night sky. "Also, I would never say 'totes', even ironically."

"Yeah. I know." Liam said, then flinched as the hospital door opened, revealing five figures coming toward them.

Theo craned his neck a bit more to see them, then looked at Liam's hand, expecting it to move. Instead, Liam ran his thumb along the fabric of Theo's jeans, a signal that he assumed meant Liam wasn't planning on moving. The gesture was overwhelming for Theo, and his pulse picked up speed as he once again fought the need to run from this before he got hurt.

Liam nodded at the Sheriff and Melissa as they veered off to the cruiser, Nolan in tow. Another squad car pulled up and two officers got out, stopping to talk to the Sheriff before continuing inside the hospital.

Liam and Theo watched as the Sheriff drove away. They turned back to Mason and Corey, who approached them, holding hands.

Theo dropped his head to the concrete and covered his face with his hands. He wanted to hide. He just wanted to sleep, to be anywhere but right here, in this moment, where he had no idea what was going on with him, or Liam, or the pack. He shouldn't need to have an idea.  It shouldn't matter.

But it did.

Because he cared.

He cared about all of it.

He cared about Gabe hurting, he cared about Nolan being alone now, he cared that Mason and Corey were okay, he cared about the pack winning.

He cared about everything Liam cared about, and not just because it was important to Liam. While he was too busy saving Liam to pay attention to what was happening, these things had somehow become important to Theo.

"Hey guys." Liam's voice broke Theo from his brief panic. Theo uncovered his face and propped himself up on his elbows again so that he could look at them.

Corey and Mason gave twin weary smiles at the pair sitting on the curb.

"Sheriff said we should all get some rest, and that everyone is gathering at his place in the morning for brunch and regrouping." Mason informed them.

"Stiles is making bacon-banana pancakes for everyone, because apparently that's the ultimate victory meal." Corey added. "I dont think anyone agrees, so Melissa said she'd bring bagels as a backup."

Theo let out a loud, awkward laugh, that sounded more like a cough, prompting the other three to look at him in surprise before breaking out in quiet, relieved laughter as well.

"I can't believe we're alive." Mason said in awe as the laughter died down.

Theo looked up at the couple as Corey pulled Mason closer, smiling sadly. Liam brushed his thumb slowly against Theo' jeans again, And the chimera's heart skipped. Liam clearly heard, because the werewolf pressed harder against his thigh.

"So uhhh, Liam?" Mason lilted, smirking a little as he nodded in Theo's direction. "You uh... You sleeping with the enemy now?"

Theo barked out another loud laugh at the incredulity of the situation. He dropped down onto his back, covering his face once more.

"Is Theo really an enemy though?" Corey mused as Liam's grip on Theo's leg moved to his knee and tightened. "He's pretty useful to us ever since he went all harmless puppy dog and fell in love."

"Come over here and I'll show you how harmless I am." Theo muttered through his hands, jerking his leg away from Liam's touch.

"Theo's not our enemy." Liam sighed, making no motion to reach out for him again. "He's just an asshole."

"...who you're sleeping with." Mason added, nodding patronizingly.

"No one is sleeping with anyone!" Theo threw his hands in the air and sat all the way up so that he could glare at the antagonistic couple. "But we should probably all go home and get some sleep.  Personally, I would rather sleep than get laid after the day we just had."

"Fine.  You win." Mason held up his hands in surrender before arching an eyebrow at his best friend. "Don't think I didn't notice you avoiding the question, Liam."

"Theo. Liam." Corey nodded at them before shoving his boyfriend in the direction of the car. "Get home safe."

The werewolf and chimera watched as the couple got in the car and drove off, leaving them sitting in silence, staring at the flickering lights from the hospital. Theo looked down and idly picked at a hole in his jeans, not wanting to think about the body of a boy younger than himself just inside those doors.

He didn't necessarily want to think about the very-much-alive body sitting next to him on the sidewalk, either.

"I'm not in love with you." Theo mumbled stubbornly, believing it enough himself that his heart remained steady as he spoke.

"Okay." Liam shrugged, looking over at the older teen. "Why'd you come back then?"

Theo looked up as he heard the faint sound of sirens approaching from a distance. He stood, holding a hand out to help Liam up.

"Let's get you home." Theo suggested as Liam took his hand and got to his feet. Theo went to let go but Liam gripped his palm tighter, keeping them almost chest to chest, with just their clasped hands between them.

"Stay." Liam commanded. Theo frowned in confusion, so Liam went on. "With me. Tonight. Just... come home with me."

"I don't think so." Theo laughed humorlessly. He let his usual bitter, angry smile fall across his features. He went to walk away again, and this time Liam let him, but followed closely behind.

"I don't mean it like that." Liam muttered, sticking his hands in his pockets as they walked behind the building to the parking lot where Theo parked. "I just want... I need to know that you're safe. Tonight, after everything. I don't want you to be out there alone."

"Oh, is that what you want?" Theo laughed again, shaking his head.

"Theo." Liam grabbed Theo's arm just as they reached the car. He threw Theo against the driver's side door, and grabbed the chimera's jaw, forcing him to make eye contact. "I don't know what you expect here. I don't even know what _you_  want, let alone what we're supposed to be doing here. This whole situation is fucking surreal. That you're here, with me, willing to fucking _die_ for me-"

Theo's hand shot up to Liam's wrist, gripping painfully, forcing the werewolf to release his jaw. His grip tightened almost to the point of breaking the bones in Liam's wrist, but in stark contrast, his eyes softened to a sad, remorseful gaze.

"I don't expect anything from you." Theo whispered, then released Liam with a small shove, putting some needed distance between them. "Get in the car. I'll fucking stay with you."

He turned and got in the driver's seat, leaving Liam no room to argue, or do anything except exactly what he was told.


	2. Our Paths, They Crossed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They figure it out. Kind of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Where are we going now?  
> Where do we go?  
> Cause if it's the same as yesterday  
> You know I'm out, just so you know"

Theo blinked a few times as he woke. He eased peacefully into consciousness from the most sound sleep he'd had in years. He focused his sharpening gaze on the ceiling fan, whirring gently but still near-silent, as he remembered the reason he was on a bed, indoors.

He tuned into the only other source of noise in the room, the body that was curled up on the other side of the bed, not more than two feet away. The breathing was slow and steady, but the heart rate was a bit too fast for someone who was asleep.

"Morning." Theo broke the peaceful quiet with a voice that was dry with sleep. He turned his head to look at Liam's bare shoulders. The werewolf was cuddled into his comforter, turned away from Theo. Only then did Theo realize he was on top of the covers, in shorts that didn't belong to him, and he didn't remember falling asleep in the first place.

"You slept like you were dead." Liam huffed without moving.

"Why am I wearing your shorts?" Theo mumbled, lifting his head a bit to look down at them. He lifted the waistband and looked inside the track shorts for no reason other than confusion as to his current state of dress. He sniffed the air, and remembered he'd used Liam's shower when they got to the house. The last thing he recalled vividly was Liam tagging in to shower after him, and then there was a vague memory of sitting down on Liam's bed in only a towel.

"You were passed out, butt naked, not-to-mention drooling, when I got out of the shower last night. Your feet were still on the floor, and your towel was underneath you. It was like someone had punched you into unconsciousness, but I swear I didn't." Liam giggled. When he was done speaking, he rolled onto his other side, hugging the comforter as he went, until he was facing Theo, one eyebrow arched in amusement.

"Huh. That explains why I don't remember anything." Theo nodded, then frowned at the imagery. "I was not drooling."

"A little, yeah." Liam nodded, fighting a smile. "You're fucking heavy, too. Getting the towel out from under you and dragging you fully onto the bed... Not so easy with how exhausted I was."

"Sounds pretty sexy actually, having to get up-close and personal with my junk." Theo wagged his eyebrows suggestively at his bedmate. "Except the part where you put clothes on me. I think you were doing it wrong."

"Uh-huh, yeah, rape? Not really sexy..." Liam scoffed at the chimera's teasing, flicking him in the arm gently. "Plus, I'm already well acquainted with your dick. It was almost nostalgic."

"Look at you." Theo grinned. "Breaking your own rules for the sake of blow job humor."

"Should've left you naked and pushed you onto the floor." Liam grumbled, stifling a yawn.

"Thanks." Theo locked eyes with Liam as he said it, trying to impress that he was thanking him for more than the borrowed clothing.

Liam smiled, understanding the words that went unsaid. He shifted onto his stomach, pushing the comforter off his body so that it was underneath him. He propped himself up on his elbows and picked at the blanket below him, face screwed up in thought.

"Look, about yesterday, at the gas station-" Theo started, wanting to clear the air.

"Wait." Liam looked over and locked eyes with the chimera again. "Whatever you're going to say, I just want you to know that, um... I wanted to say that I kind of deserved the way you reacted."

Theo's eyebrow rose in curiosity at the werewolf beside him. He wanted to protest, but he patiently waited for Liam to expound on his statement.

"So, yeah, you could've been less of a dick." Liam smirked half-heartedly as he went back to playing with a thread sticking out of the sheet underneath him. "But I've realised that I haven't shown you enough, or like any, actually... gratitude for how much you do for me. I do need you. And sometimes, especially at first, that just makes me so..."

Liam paused, rethinking his words. He huffed angrily, then sighed in resignation.

"You know, I have a lot of feelings, and it feels like none of them ever make sense." Liam whispered, almost scared. "I take it out on you because a lot of these feelings are about you. And I know you're okay with it... But that doesn't make it okay. You know?"

"Yeah." Theo breathed out, in awe of how open Liam was being with him. He braced himself mentally, and told himself that he may as well do the same. "I uh, I was gonna say... I am sorry, even if I don't need to be. I was just trying to goad myself into running and getting far away from here, when all I really wanted to do was stay and protect you. All I wanted was to make sure that you were okay. That's why when Scott called..."

Theo trailed off, looking up at the ceiling fan again, watching the blades spin. He felt the other boy's hand tighten into a grip on his bicep, and he looked down as his arm was drawn away from his body enough so that Liam could slide under it, wrapping a warm arm around Theo's torso, tucking a bent knee between Theo's legs, and laying his soft, scruffy cheek against Theo's chest.

Theo gazed down at the top of the young werewolf's head in shock, before slowly wrapping his displaced arm around Liam's shoulders, drawing him in even closer.

Theo hadn't expected that reaction, at all, but if that was what honesty got him, he figured he might as well go with it.

"Also, I lied. Kind of. I guess." Theo shrugged, as much as he could without letting go of Liam.

"Yeahhh, I'm gonna need you to be more specific." Liam teased, laughing into the taut skin on Theo's sternum. A shiver ran through Theo's body, but he felt a warmth inside like he'd never felt before. He took a deep breath, inhaling Liam's scent, hoping it'd give him the courage not to feel embarrassed as he made his confession.

"As far back as I can remember, I've never been loved, or loved anyone else." Theo spoke slowly, carefully. "I guess that should make me unqualified to identify it, but instead, since I'm inheritly evil, I've studied love from afar. I understand how it works, because I've tried, and at times succeeded in, destroying it for others."

Theo could hear Liam's heart rate pick up, but the boy remained perfectly still, draped across his body, comfortable and relaxed.

"I think that's why I'm so scared of it. Because I've seen the wreckage after." Theo paused to clear his throat. "Jesus, I never even thought it would be possible for me to feel it. And I didn't try to, Liam. Fuck, I really didn't mean to, I swear."

"I know." Liam said.

He didn't say anything else. Theo took it as a sign that Liam was at least accepting the idea of Theo being in love with him. He meant it when he said that he didn't expect anything from Liam. It didn't matter if Liam didn't return his feelings, as long as he didn't ridicule him or cast him out for having them.

Theo brought his hand that had been resting on Liam's shoulder to the werewolf's grown out mane instead. His fingers passed through the messy golden brown locks.

It didn't hurt to be close to Liam, as he imagined it might. Even if it did, he knew he'd always want whatever Liam could offer, even if it was just sex, as long as he knew Liam cared about his feelings. It should be sad, but it actually felt normal. He knew that Liam cared about him more than he deserved, and that filled him with some strange sense of pride.

For the first time in his life, he was doing something right.

"Theo?" Liam broke him from his thoughts, and Theo ceased the movement of his hand through the boy's hair, gripping it lightly instead. Liam turned his face so that his nose was pressing against Theo's sternum, and he mumbled into the skin there. "Since we're having a _moment_ or whatever... would it be insensitive to say that I'm really turned on by how you smell right now?"

"Ha! Why? Is it because I'm covered in the smell of your soap and detergent?" Theo laughed loudly, shaking both of their bodies with his giggles. He stopped suddenly, realizing that Liam wasn't laughing with him. "Oh my God, that means you're like... you want me to smell like that because you want me to belong to you. Dude! You can't get _territorial_ when we're not even dating!"

"Is that what you want, though?" Liam lifted his head so that his chin dug into the chimera's pectoral muscle. Theo put his free hand behind his head to support it as he craned his neck to meet Liam's curious eyes. "You want to date me?"

"I don't know." Theo responded honestly. He could feel his chest start to constrict with hope. "Hadn't really thought of that as an option until this second. Is it? An option, I mean?"

"I'm not sure. I guess so." Liam shrugged, shifting his hips. He stared into Theo's eyes with intent, licking his lips before exhaling heavily. Theo felt his own breath become labored at the obvious lust in the other boy's eyes. "I know that I would really like you to stay in Beacon Hills. I also know that I would really, _really_ like to have sex with you, exclusively, because I'm fucking territorial. I know that I haven't been able to stop craving the taste of your come, and I know that I have been _dying_ to know what it feels like to kiss you ever since that next day at the zoo when I broke your nose three times, all because I could smell how turned on you were."

Liam paused, trying to steady his breath, but his heart had started racing, betraying any semblance of calm he held on to.

Theo couldn't breathe at all.

"What I don't know," Liam continued, the focus in his eyes never wavering, "is whether or not this is going to end up really fucking shitty for one or both of us eventually."

Theo sucked in a breath and faster than his brain could process, he had tightened his grip in Liam's hair and used it to yank the teen away from him, far enough to switch their positions. Liam was pressed flat, back on the mattress, panting heavily as he looked up at the man straddling his hips, eyes glowing yellow. Theo stared down at him, just as out of breath, gaze roaming hungrily over Liam's face before following the sharp line of his jaw to his neck, where the werewolf's blood was hammering hard enough through his veins that Theo could see the vessels pulse beneath his skin.

Theo cocked his head to the side as he felt Liam's hands grip his waist, pulling and tilting his hips slightly, with intent. Theo groaned as he felt the warm length of Liam's erection on his bare abdomen as it strained against Liam's sweats.

"Fuck it." Theo muttered, eyes flashing to match Liam's as they stared at each other. Theo groaned and shook his head as Liam's hardness twitched against him. "We'll worry about that part later."

"Yeah, okay." Liam nodded eagerly before surging up to bite at Theo's bottom lip, gently, provocatively.

Theo grinned, the smile forcing his lip out of Liam's teeth. He hummed happily as he let himself be pulled down, chasing the lips that impatiently captured his own in a long overdue kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That wasn't at all how it was planned. Haha. I rewrote this se feral times, and I just felt like this was the ending that fit?
> 
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
